Thread: Plastic decking from treeconcept

Just had a look at a mates project that has gone wrong. He has used the treeconcept plastic decking with the plastic battens fixed with stainless clips to steel beams.
There is no expansion gap between the ends of the planks so the deck is buckling badly and in other places sagging. The specs for the stuff show the battens fixed to a concrete slab, maybe they are not designed to span across steel at right angles. Has anyone used composite deck materials, this system is from thailand.
The acual plank looks great with a lovely colour a bit like aged teak.

any pics?

Given the different expansion and contraction rates of Steel and Plastic is it highly possible that the planks should not be fixed to steel battens.

^^
Some pics here:
Tree Concept

"The specs for the stuff show the battens fixed to a concrete slab"

Says it all really...

Originally Posted by cambtek

There is no expansion gap between the ends of the planks

Have a look at the installation guide
http://treeconcept.com/Doc/How_to_Install_F.pdf

There should only be expansion gaps for the batons and expansion gaps between adjacent planks.
The planks are held to the batons using the K02 clips which allow the planks to move lengthwise.

I love sites in Thai language.

well if it is just attached with clips..should be possible to re-lay over shera sheet on the steel?
Buckled planks may well straighten out in the sun/or with boiling water poured on or when re-laid ?
..not knowing how it is to by laid on concrete ... construction adhesive maybe?
okay see clips and screws...so should be possible to rescue the project...55

Thanks chaps, the battens are specified to be screwed to a slab not suspended as you say. The website specs are ambiguous as well, it seems to say that a plank should be laid at right angles every 3 metres. So why manufacture planks 5.4 metres long? My first thought was to lift it all and lay cement sheet and then refix the battens. But cement sheet is expensive and it is not inert either. It's a real cockup and after much reading I would not use any plastic decking, in the US there are dozens of varieties.

Four weekends into the repairs, using the plastic joist again and the correct plastic clip that gives a 7mm gap. The battens are being screwed through the structural steel with roofing screws. We are re doing the worst areas and it is working, four or five menfor two days to do about 20 square metres.
The longest original run was 19 joints, about fifty metres without any relief. The boards have pushed their way through the balustrade steel by about 70mm! That requires many tons of pressure.
Never ever use this shit. Shera have fibre cement planks that would last fifty years, this shit maybe five years.